Draft-hook.



H. M. BABB.

DRAFT HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1912.

1,1 18,618. Patented NOY. 24, 1914 'rinrrnn sra'rnsrn'rnni'r oration.

-HARRY1V[. BAIBB, 0F PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIG'NOR TO JOSEPH D. BASCOM, OF ST. LOUI$, MISSOURI.

DRAFT-HOOK.

.App1ication filed November 25, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Haney M. Bane, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Portland, in the county of (hiunben land and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in draft-hooks, and has for its object to provide an improved hook of this character having a novel locking device to prevent the hook from becoming detached accidentally from anything to which same may be attached.

Further, the present invention consists of the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like nu1nbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved hook embodying the present invention, the locking device thereon being shown in closed position and locked in such position; Fig. Qis a front elevation of same; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hook with the locking device thereon shown in opened position; and Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the hook, showing the locking means ar ranged in an optional manner.

In the drawings, 1 represents the hook proper and 2 the eye for connecting same to a rope, cable, chain, or other device (not shown in the drawings), which eye is preferably formed integrally with said hook. The hook l terminates in a bill 3, which, in the present instance, is provided with a tongue 1, the latter havingan aperture 5 formed therein for the purpose hereinafter described.

In order to prevent the hook 1 from becoming detached accidentally from the rope, cable, chain, or anything to which same may be attached, a locking device is provided, same consisting of a guard-finger 6 or the like. Each end of this guard-finger 6is preferably bifurcated, the prongs 7 at one end thereof being pivotally attached to a lug or projection 8 by means of a pin 9 or the like, which lugor projection is preferably formed on the inner side of the hook 1 adjacent to the eye 2, and the prongs 10 at the other end of same being arranged so as to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24:, 1914.

Serial No. 733,285.

end of said guard-linger, when the latter is r in closed or locking position, the hill 3 may be provided with a shoulder 11. or a plurality of such shoulders. In practice, the bill 23 of the hook 1 is preferably provided with a pair of shoulders 11, one being located on one side of thctougue l and the other on the opposite side of same, as best seen in Fig. 2, so as to aifordstops or supports for the prongs 10, respectively, of the free end of the guardfiugcr 6, when the latter is moved to its closed or looking position. The tongue 1 is preferably formed of such length that, when the guard'finger (3 is moved to its closed or locking position, the tongue extends above the free end of the guard-finger so that the aperture in the former is, also, above the position, so as to prevent same from being accidentally detached from the rope, cable, chain, or anything to which same may be attached. \Vhen a wire 12 is used, some may be passed through the aperture 5 in the tongue 4 and then passed around the free end of the guard-finger (S and twisted togather at the ends thereof, as depicted in Figs. 1 and 2, or same may be arranged in various other ways to lock the guard-finger in its closed position. If desired, theguardfinger 6 may be provided with an aperture 13 and the wire 12 may be fastened thereto by passing one end of the latter through the aperture 13 and then twisting said end around the wire, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to leave the other end of said wire free to be inserted in the aperture 5 in the tongue, or a thong (not shown) may be substituted for the wire 12.

It should be noted that the tongue 4 and other parts of the hook 1 and parts of the guard-finger 6 that are liable to catch in or on anything while the hook is in use are well rounded to lessen such liability. Another important feature of this hook is that, in case the tongue 4 becomes broken in shipment or in use or in any other way, the hook is not rendered useless, for the reason that under such circumstances the free end of the guard-finger 6 may still be fastened to the bill 3 by the wire 12 or other suitable means.

Vhile this hook is particularly adapted for use in connection With automobile towlines and other draft lines and the like, yet, it should be understood that it may be used in connection with hoisting apparatus and for various other purposes. Furthermore, the hook of the present construction is sin1- ple and inexpensive to manufacture and is strong and durable.

I claim:

A. draft-hook comprising a U-shaped body provided with an eye and a bill at its respective ends, a contracted tongue extending outwardly from the bill, shoulders at the base of the tongue adjacent to the sides thereof, a contracted lug borne by the body and extending outwardly from the base of the eye toward the tongue, and a guard finger of sufiicient length to span the space be tween the tongue and the lug and having each of its ends bifurcated, one of the bifur cated ends receiving the lug and being pivoted thereto and the other bifurcated end being adapted to receive the tongue and to rest upon the shoulders and terminating at points adjacent to the outer side of the tongue and between the outer and inner sides of said tongue, the eye, the tongue, the lug, and the guard finger being disposed in the same plane with the body. of the drafthook, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony Where of I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNST M. -WHITE, WALTER J. LAUGHLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. U. 

